Charlotte Hornets Reportedly Interested In 3 Players Including A 4x All-Star

On Sunday, NBA reporter Marc Stein reports that the Charlotte Hornets are interested in Elfrid Payton, Isaiah Thomas and Kemba Walker. Before spending the last three seasons with the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics, Walker had been the face of their franchise.

The Charlotte Hornets are coming off a solid season where they went 43-39, but they finished as the tenth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Therefore, they had to go on the road and play the Atlanta Hawks in the play-in tournament, which they lost in a blowout 132-103.  

Even though they have been stuck in mediocrity over the last few years, they have a lot of excitement because of 21-year-old All-Star LaMelo Ball. 

As the season gets closer, they need to fill out all the holes in their roster, and NBA reporter Marc Stein gave some insight into their search for another point guard (h/t NBA Central). 

Report: Charlotte Hornets showing interest in Elfrid Payton, Isaiah Thomas and Kemba Walker https://t.co/DlZAYBDOlS

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 28, 2022

Around-the-league NBA notes on a Sunday with all the latest buzz ... as it should be: https://t.co/RMiizOAnFM

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) August 28, 2022

Stein on Sunday, August 28, (via his Substack): "The Hornets are said to have added Elfrid Payton to the list of guards they are considering along with the prospect of re-signing Isaiah Thomas or club legend Kemba Walker, who remains on Detroit’s roster with his anticipated buyout still on hold."

Thomas averaged 8.3 points per contest in 17 regular season games for the Hornets last season. 

He played in four games for the Los Angeles Lakers and one for the Dallas Mavericks before singing with Charlotte during the season. 

Isaiah Thomas is met with a standing ovation at his first Hornets home game 👏 pic.twitter.com/qMovcbcWHp

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 10, 2022

As for Walker, he is still currently on the Detroit Pistons, but prior to playing the last three seasons for the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks, he had been the face of the Hornets' franchise.

The former UConn star was the ninth overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, and spent the first eight seasons of his career in Charlotte.

Three of his four trips to the All-Star Game came with the Hornets. 

Kemba Walker with the Hornets was truly something to watch
pic.twitter.com/X8t1ujmMHc

— 🛴🦖 (@SC0OOT) August 28, 2022

Finally, Payton was the tenth overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, and has had a solid career. 

He's played eight NBA seasons for the Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, New Orleans Pelicans and Knicks. 

His career averages are 10.1 points 4.0 rebounds and 5.7 assists per contest in 500 regular season games. 

Elfrid Payton put the clamps on John Wall 👀 pic.twitter.com/V5L4sH7qjF

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 14, 2021